Ohioans must act now to protect natural resources

May 5, 2012

I have a "Stop Fracking" sign on my front yard. I read Spencer Hunt's prolific reporting on the industry.

Recently, I protested with "Don't Frack Ohio" concerned citizens at the Ohio Statehouse and attended the 4 to 10 p.m. state representative presentations to the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee on a dozen environmental bills ranging from urging the president to allow offshore oil and natural gas development, grant permits for the Keystone XL pipeline and water withdrawals from Lake Erie to moratoriums on horizontal fracturing until certain reports are issued and brine and waste disposal by injection underground.

Our representatives' performances varied. Some were slick, some were shockingly uninformed, some bullied panel experts and one emotionally charged plea for support was repeatedly gaveled down. In accordance, our group applauded, and were swiftly warned to behave.

Fracking is here. Our state government has welcomed this industry with open arms. Initial fracking wells are out-producing industry projections, and the oil and gas companies and lease owners are laughing all the way to the bank while we look the other way.

The fracking industry is raping our land, and I won't stand by while our water aquifers are befouled with toxic life-threatening chemicals, our state parks and wildlife reserves are leased away in hushed deals, our air quality tailspins and our burgeoning sustainable energy industry is knocked off the table for this get rich quick, immediate gratification, gold rush free-for-all.

Ohio has shale. It's not going anywhere. We must legislate ecological safety and tax the fracking industry. We must do it now to protect our drinking water, the water that sustains our food, the air we breath and the industry-empowering freedom from carbon dependence.

It's evident this administration is not concerned about the toxic wastes of fracking. So my fellow Ohioans, connect with and join fellow concerned citizens. Go see for yourself a fracking well, the toxic brine disposal wells in Akron that set off an unprecedented number of earthquakes. Watch the documentary "Gasland."

Ohioans -- Stand up, speak up and take action before our clean water, land and air is no more.